


Forever After

by loves_books



Series: Forever Changed [2]
Category: The A-Team (2010), The A-Team - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-24
Updated: 2014-06-24
Packaged: 2018-02-06 02:28:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1840996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loves_books/pseuds/loves_books
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two years after the events of Forever Changed, Hannibal reflects on the many ways in which their lives have changed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Forever After

The Georgia night was hot and sticky, with barely a hint of a cooling breeze in spite of the windows flung wide open. Hannibal knew it was almost certainly too hot and sticky to have an equally hot and sticky body wrapped around him, but at that moment he didn’t care even remotely about that. He wouldn’t dream of moving for anything in the world. Here was where he was happiest, where he was meant to be, and the slight discomfort didn’t matter at all.

In the darkness of the room, he could barely make out Face’s handsome features as the younger man slept against his side and in his arms, though Hannibal could feel his lover’s head resting on his shoulder and could just make out the outline of his muscular body. He could most certainly feel Face’s toned chest pressed against his left side, his groin against Hannibal’s hip, and his left leg thrown up and over Hannibal’s own. 

Or what remained of Face’s left leg, of course. His stump, though that wasn’t how Hannibal thought of it, not after nearly two years had passed since that disastrous mission. It was still a shock, sometimes, to see it laid bare. Not ugly, though it would always remain misshapen and badly scarred after the skin grafts and reconstructive surgery Face had been through, and because of the particularly brutal way the leg had been severed. But it wasn’t ugly to Hannibal. How could it ever be ugly – it was a part of Face, and Face was so very beautiful, in each and every way. 

It was still a shock, though, because most of the time Hannibal tended to forget about the fact Face walked with a prosthetic leg. After two years, and with ongoing physiotherapy, Face was easily as comfortable on the false leg as he had ever been on his own two legs – he went running daily, he worked out, he could drive a car. He’d even been up paragliding a few times, testing his new body to the limits and being very happy with how it held up. 

“Bungee jumping next, John,” Face had told Hannibal excitedly over the phone, just a few short weeks earlier. “Next time you’re home for a week or two, let’s go somewhere we can try bungee jumping. Or rock climbing, or how about abseiling? We gotta get out there, try something different!”

Hannibal had been a little worried, if he was being honest with himself, but he’d agreed, of course he had. “Sure thing, kid. Whatever you want. Anything you want!” Back when they had first got together, after Face was just out of the rehab centre, he had often worried that Face was pushing himself too hard and too fast, but then he’d seen his boy out and about, living his life to the fullest. Now, Hannibal could honestly say he was thrilled to see how normal the other man’s life had become, in spite of the ongoing challenges he faced. It was as normal as any life could be for an adrenaline-junkie-ex-Ranger, at least.

There would always be some challenges for Face, of course, and extra risks involved with certain activities. Hannibal knew Face was obsessive about keeping what remained of his leg clean and dry, worried about developing another infection after a nasty skin irritation one time had meant he hadn’t been able to use the prosthetic for nearly a month.

Hannibal wished desperately that he’d been there for Face when he’d had to go through that. He’d only found out about it after it was all over, once he had returned to the States on another flying visit only to find Face waiting for him in the airport with a recognisably false smile on his handsome features. He’d worried that his boy wouldn’t tell him what was wrong, but as soon as they’d set foot inside their off-base home Face had told him everything, wrapped up tightly in his lover’s arms.

“It was awful,” Face had confessed in a whisper. “Being back on crutches, like I was back to square one. I worked so damn hard to be free of the wheelchair and the crutches, and then the cane, and it was just… I hated every minute of it.”

“Of course you did.” Hannibal had pulled his boy as close as possible, rocking him every so gently in his arms. “I should’ve been here. I can’t even imagine…”

“You couldn’t’ve done anything, and to be honest, I know I was a complete misery to be around.” There had been a soft snort of laughter, a good sign in Hannibal’s mind. “Major Cartwright told me to buck up my ideas and stop feeling sorry for myself.”

Hannibal had wanted to go and shake the man’s hand right there and then – Face’s new boss was a decent and sharply intelligent man, and it sounded like he’d quickly figured out the best way to snap Face out of himself when necessary. “Still, I wish I’d been here for you,” he’d whispered, pressing a kiss to his lover’s temple as Face lifted his head slightly.

The softly whispered answer had nearly broken Hannibal’s heart. “Honestly? I wish you’d been here too.” 

Being apart so often was both a curse and a blessing. It made every moment they had together incredibly precious, and the two men found they could talk openly and honestly about their fears as well as their love. There was no more time for hiding, no time for half-truths, because they might never have another moment together. Hannibal was still leading his Alpha unit, still with BA, Murdock and Read on his team, though Read was pushing for Captain now and Hannibal knew the young man would most likely be leaving them soon. And Face was working on base at Benning on Intel and Logistics, loving the different challenges he faced every day.

Hannibal hadn’t said anything, and he wasn’t sure whether Face knew he was even being considered, but he had it on good intelligence that Face would almost certainly be making Captain himself in a few months’ time. It would be a long overdue and well-deserved promotion, and he prayed that he would be able to make it back to the base in order to be there at the promotion ceremony. 

That was the blessing in all of this, the fact that the two of them had still been able to continue their careers and have a relationship at the same time. If Face hadn’t lost his leg – and Hannibal still felt guilty, at times, for the horrific manner in which that had happened – then the two of them would most likely still be working on the same team. Face would still be refusing to transfer to another unit to widen his experience, as he had done on several occasions in the past, saying he only wanted to work with Hannibal. And Hannibal would have let him stay with only a token fight, not wanting his boy to leave his side for even a moment. And almost definitely, neither one of them would have ever been brave enough to say how they really felt about the other man.

A strange blessing, that a mission gone so badly wrong had led them to this, to finally declaring their love for each other and finding a way to make it work, in spite of the challenges they both faced. Face had been the one to say it most clearly, after their first proper night together as lovers, and he’d said it several times since.

“I’d do this all over again, you know?” he’d murmured one time, early in their new relationship, his body lying hot and heavy on top of Hannibal’s. “Not just the sex, though, y’know…”

Hannibal had managed a breath of laughter, still trying to catch his breath after their last round. He had already been able to tell that his lover was going to be completely insatiable, and he was more than up for the challenge, but still – “Give me five minutes, kid…”

“Listen, John, I’m serious.” And indeed Face had sounded so incredibly serious that Hannibal had worried for a moment. “I’d do this all over again. Losing my leg, leaving the Rangers – if losing my leg was the price I had to pay to have you, I would do it a thousand times over. No regrets, okay?”

“No regrets,” Hannibal had agreed, and he’d found he hadn’t needed those five minutes after all. He still wasn’t sure if he felt exactly the same way as Face did – he’d far rather his boy was whole and well, and had never had to go through the hell he’d suffered – but he was fairly sure they never would have reached this level of happiness if that defining moment hadn’t happened. 

Now, Face was working in a job he loved, a job he was good at. Better than good actually, Hannibal knew, something that kept his brilliant mind busy and kept him challenged. Most of what Face actually did was classified, in the same way Hannibal’s missions were classified, and so they could share little of their day-to-day lives with each other, which again was almost a blessing as it left them free to talk about anything and everything else. 

Hannibal and his team had seen the results of Face’s work first-hand more than once, of course. Crucial intel would reach them just at the right moment, and equipment they never dreamed they could have would suddenly be delivered to the team’s tent in the middle of an FOB. In whichever base Hannibal visited, even if it was a last-minute, unplanned trip, he would find a gift-wrapped box of his favourite cigars waiting for him at the gate, and no one on the team had ever wanted for anything. 

When BA had been wounded a year ago, Face had somehow arranged for the big guy’s mom to fly out to Germany, though he shouldn’t strictly have been allowed visitors. And Murdock and Read found themselves supplied with every little thing they could wish for, often before they knew they needed it, from comics and books to new clothes – even from afar, Face took care of his team, and always managed to throw in something extra for the entire base at the same time, be it crates of beer or copies of the latest blockbuster movie.

If pushed, Face would freely admit that he did miss his life in the Rangers. It would have been strange if he hadn’t. He missed making a difference in such a huge and important way, but at the same time he’d long since accepted what had happened to him. Had accepted it before Hannibal did, certainly. Hannibal knew there were huge advancements being made in the field of prosthetic limbs, just as he knew Face was far from the only soldier to have lost a leg in war. There were clinical trials going on, and medical studies looking at the practicalities of getting those soldiers back to the front lines, trials Face had looked at long and hard, and they’d spoken a little about the possibilities which might come up in the near future. 

In the end, though, Hannibal knew in his heart that Face wouldn’t go back out there now, to the front line, even if it were a realistic possibility for him. He’d built a life for himself at Benning, with friends and colleagues and a job he really did love. He had a house, too, or rather the two of them had a home – Hannibal and Face had bought a place together last year, just a small house with two bedrooms, a few minutes away from the base in a quiet and secluded part of town. 

It was somewhere Face could live comfortably by himself while Hannibal was away, and somewhere that could become their ‘love-nest’ when they were reunited. They could never make plans too far in advance, and Hannibal was glad Face understood all too well just how unpredictable life on an Alpha Unit could be. Sometimes his planned leave got cancelled or delayed, and other times Hannibal managed to seize a few days unexpectedly and would jump on the first transport back to Benning with only a couple of hours’ notice. Luckily Face had an understanding CO and was more or less able to drop everything when Hannibal did arrive home, just as he had done today. 

“I’m coming home, Temp,” he’d told his boy, as soon as the phone in Face’s office was answered. “Right now, today. I’m getting on a transport in ten minutes, and I’ve got three days.”

There had been a gasp of shock, followed immediately by a delighted laugh. “Right now? Really? Seriously? Today? How come?”

“Yes, yes, yes, yes, and it’s a long story.” Hannibal had laughed himself, barely able to wait once he knew he was only a few hours from holding his lover in his arms once more. “I’ve got to go. I’ll see you very soon.”

“I’ll be waiting!” They’d hung up at the same time, and Hannibal had sprinted to catch the waiting plane, knowing he owed a dozen people more than a few favours for arranging things so quickly. 

This was the first time they’d seen each other in four months, though they’d spoken on the phone a few times, and Face had sent ‘care packages’ just as he always did. Three days wasn’t going to be enough, but it would have to do. It was more than either of them had expected to get for another couple of months, and Hannibal hadn’t been able to restrain himself in the airport, sweeping his lover up into his arms and swinging a laughing Face round and round in circles. They’d kissed enthusiastically and clung tightly to each other as a scattering of applause and wolf-whistles broke out around them from the other waiting family members.

Their relationship was far from secret, and neither of them bothered to hide it. Don’t ask don’t tell was a distant memory now, thank goodness, and they weren’t in the same chain of command – if anyone had a problem with it, they could go take a running jump off a cliff for all Hannibal cared. They didn’t go out of their way to broadcast their feelings for each other, though, both being far too private for that. Their reunions at the airport were usually more discreet, but Hannibal just hadn’t been able to hold himself back once he’d seen his boy standing there waiting, all deeply tanned skin and artfully mussed hair, blue eyes shining bright with emotion.

Reunions and reconnection were wonderful, and this afternoon had been a perfect example, though it was getting harder and harder for Hannibal to leave Face each time, when his leave ended. They only had another two precious days together this time, then most likely Hannibal would be gone for another few months. Face had never said a word, not out loud, but Hannibal felt sure his lover hoped he would eventually decide to move back to the States permanently, and take a training position at Benning, or work in planning and intel himself. They could be together every day then, rather than stealing a few days together whenever fate threw them a chance.

Hannibal loved Face all the more for never mentioning it, and for never pushing him or complaining. He loved Face dearly with all his heart, but he loved his job too and he knew his lover understood that. Hannibal was good at his job – no, he was great at it. He was meant to be out there in the field, running special ops and succeeding in the impossible missions no one else would touch. Face understood that because he had once felt exactly the same, before things had changed for him so dramatically. 

Secretly, though, Hannibal thought another couple of years of this might well be enough for him. Another two years to see Read promoted, and to find a suitable team leader who could take on both BA and Murdock, then he’d see how he felt. Another two years and he would be ready. 

“You know I’ll wait, right?” Face had told Hannibal time and time again, often when they lay together in bed, sated and sticky after a passionate night of making love. “I’ll always be here, waiting for you. No matter how long you’re away, no matter what you have to do. As long as you want to come home to me, I’ll be here, waiting for you and loving you.”

Hannibal had simply not known the right words to say in reply to that honest and heartfelt statement, and he had known then as he knew now that he was the luckiest man in the whole world. His boy was so bright and so brilliant, so beautiful and full of life, and he could have had his pick of any man or woman that caught his eye. But he wanted Hannibal, had chosen Hannibal, and Hannibal had chosen him right back. 

This worked for them right now, in spite of all the odds stacked against them. Long distance relationships could be a real bitch, but somehow theirs worked. Stepping off a plane fresh from the dusty desert or a distant military base, only to find the love of his life waiting for him with open arms – yes, Hannibal was truly the luckiest man alive. 

He knew he had no reason to doubt his boy when Face told him he would wait, knew he had no reason to ever be jealous or suspicious during the long months he was away. He had always trusted Face with his life; now he would trust his lover with his heart. He also trusted that Face wouldn’t be sitting and pining for him, literally waiting by the phone until he got word of Hannibal’s return. Face had his own life to live, and that made the waiting easier for both of them, though they were often nearly desperate to see their partner by the time they were finally reunited. 

They’d barely managed to get the front door closed behind them that afternoon before they had been tearing the clothes from each other’s bodies and stumbling towards the bedroom on desperate legs, lips locked together. It wasn’t always like that – sometimes they dragged it out a little, going for dinner first or to visit friends, waiting until the anticipation was too much to bear. Other times they still headed straight for the bedroom, but their love-making would be slow and tender rather than desperate. 

Today, though, had been fiery and passionate and desperate and needy, and Hannibal had loved every single second of it. They hadn’t left the bedroom since long before lunch other than to collect the pizza they’d ordered for dinner, and Face had eventually fallen into an exhausted sleep, wrapped tightly around Hannibal’s side in spite of the heat of the Georgia night. Now, Hannibal leaned carefully down to press a kiss to his lover’s curly hair, feeling the stickiness of dried sweat there and knowing they both should really have showered before sleeping.

Face grumbled ever so softly against his shoulder, one strong arm wrapping around Hannibal’s waist in order to pull himself even closer, though he didn’t wake. Hannibal lay still, just basking in the heat and the presence of the man he loved, revelling in how alive Face felt. It never failed to amaze him, how lucky he was that Face had survived, and that was still a part of the shock he felt when he saw the stump of his lover’s leg. 

The stump that rested now on Hannibal’s own left leg, scar tissue strangely smooth against his thigh. So familiar, now, and loved in its own way. Hannibal knew Face had been self-conscious at first, showing Hannibal his changed body as a lover for the first time more than two years ago now, but what remained of Face’s left leg truly wasn’t ugly to the colonel, and never had been. 

The memory of their first time together still made Hannibal’s throat tight with emotion, remembering how they had both been so excited until the very moment when they had closed the bedroom door and reality had suddenly seemed to strike home.

Face had taken his time undressing, clearly less than confident, until he’d finally stood before Hannibal wearing only his boxers and his prosthetic leg. “You don’t have to…” he’d started then stopped, not quite able to meet Hannibal’s eye. “Give me five minutes, and I’ll get this off and get under the covers. You don’t have to see it.”

Hannibal had stepped closer immediately, sliding his arms around his boy’s slender waist and tugging gently until their bodies were pressed as close as they could be. “I’ve seen it before, Temp,” he’d whispered; he had seen it time and again during Face’s rehab, had watched as it had healed. “It’s a part of you, and it doesn’t bother me. It could never bother me, I promise.” 

Face had hesitated, that muscular body tensing in Hannibal’s arms, before he’d pulled away and started to remove the leg with a determined focus. Not wanting to just stand and stare, Hannibal had finished undressing himself and finally they had come to rest sitting side by side on the foot of the bed, both in just their underpants, Face’s stump cleaned and exposed between them.

Neither of them had moved, and the air had grown heavy between them as the silence deepened. Knowing Face couldn’t make the next move, Hannibal had reached out first, blood hot in his veins and the weight of years of desire driving him forwards. He’d laid one hand tenderly on that damaged limb before leaning around and kissing Face slowly, trying to both reassure him and show him just how much he was loved. The kiss had been soft and almost chaste at first, but it had grown heated very quickly, the younger man wrapping his arms around Hannibal to haul him on top as he fell backwards onto the bed. 

Hannibal had propped himself up over Face on one arm, kissing him over and over as the younger man relaxed back into the pillows, before starting to kiss his way down his lover’s body. He had kissed Face’s long neck, sucking gently over his collarbone. His lips had teased over dusky nipples, and he had kissed a long line down muscled abs, dipping his tongue briefly into Face’s navel and wringing a gasp from his boy. 

He had kissed Face’s hipbones even over the boxers he still wore, though Hannibal had ignored the bulge of his lover’s straining erection for the moment and instead slid further down again until he had been kneeling at the very foot of the bed, one hand on Face’s right knee and one braced on the mattress. Catching the younger man’s gaze, Hannibal had leant very deliberately forwards and pressed one firm kiss to the inside of Face’s right thigh before pausing, smiling.

“You don’t have to – ” Face had gasped, cheeks flushed and pupils blown wide, though he had still looked slightly nervous. “John, you don’t – ”

“Let me. I want to,” Hannibal had insisted, before pressing the softest kiss he could to the stump of his boy’s left leg. “Tell me if I hurt you.” There had been nothing but a shaky inhale of breath from Face, and so Hannibal had repeated the kisses, keeping his touch light, kissing each scar and every bump.

The hesitant touch of a hand on his head made Hannibal raise his eyes, and he had seen Face propped up on one elbow, watching him with such a look of love that he’d felt his heart could burst with happiness. Those bright blue eyes Hannibal loved so much had been shining with unshed tears, and Face had whispered, “John…”

“I love you, Templeton,” Hannibal had told him, surprised to feel the sting of tears himself at the strength of his emotions. “I love all of you. Every single part. My beautiful, strong, brave man.”

For a long minute they had just stared at each other, before Face’s teary eyes had suddenly twinkled mischievously and his lips had quirked into an inviting grin. The hand he’d had resting on Hannibal’s head had tugged on close-cropped hair, and Hannibal had all but dived back up the bed to kiss his boy on the lips once again, both of them groaning as their matching erections met in the most delicious way.

Their underwear hadn’t stayed on for long after that moment, and any remaining fears or nerves either of them might have still been carrying had been swept away as they had finally made love for the very first time. The missing limb had been forgotten about entirely, and in the sticky, contented aftermath, Face had been the one to laugh breathlessly, “Well, that was certainly worth the wait!”

“Amazing, kid,” Hannibal had agreed, completely exhausted. “Absolutely worth the wait. Thank you.” He’d meant it in a light-hearted manner, but Face had seemed to take him seriously. 

“No.” Face had lifted his head from where he had been resting his ear over Hannibal’s heart, blue eyes shining with emotion once more. “Thank you, John. Really. For everything.” So much unsaid in those simple words, but Hannibal understood that Face had been thanking him for everything from working with him all those years, right through to saving his life when his leg had been lost. “And thank you in advance for this…” And Face had moved back in for another kiss, moving carefully to straddle Hannibal and starting round two of what had turned out to be an epic night. 

Logistically, the leg had made little difference to the many and creative things they had done in bed together over the past two years, except sometimes for Face’s less than perfect balance. When his lover struggled at all, Hannibal was always there to steady him, and he always would be, both in the bedroom and in the rest of their lives together. It was a sign that they could survive anything, as well as a reminder of how precious life really was.

Now, lying in bed together after being reunited once again, Face snuffled and cuddled closer still, and Hannibal stifled his smile at the thought that his lover was actually trying to climb under his skin. It really was far too hot to be pressed together like this, but it certainly didn’t seem to bother Face, and Hannibal knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep himself anyway, not tonight. Not after so long spent apart, and knowing how little time they had together now. He was determined to lie awake and soak up every minute with Face in his arms.

Just two more precious days before he’d have to leave again. Two days in which he fully intended not to leave his lover’s side for even a second, though he reluctantly conceded that they might have to leave the bedroom and even perhaps the house at some point. Two days with the man he loved, with the man who loved him. Two more precious days they might never have had if things hadn’t happened the way they did two years ago, if a mission hadn’t gone spectacularly wrong and Face hadn’t lost his leg.

Life had a way of being unpredictable. Hannibal knew that, experienced it every day doing the dangerous tasks he did. But life had a way of working itself out too, and he and Face were living proof of that. He breathed in deeply, wrapping his own arms loosely around the sleeping body of the man he loved, and closed his eyes against the darkness of the hot night. Life was unpredictable and you had to seize every moment, just in case. And he would seize every moment he had with Face, and tell him just how much he was loved. 

They could do a whole lot of loving in two days, after all.

And when Hannibal finally did have to leave, he would leave his heart there with Face, to guard and protect until the next time they could be together.


End file.
